Halloween

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Synopsis

Halloween is observed around the world on 31st October, the eve before the Western Christian feast of All Hallows. Halloween is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. Over the time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterised by child-friendly activities, such as trick-or-treating and pumpkin carving. Children go from house to house dressed as witches and ghouls, asking the question—trick or treat? The word ‘trick’ refers to ‘threat’—to perform mischief on homeowners or their property—if no treat is given. In this custom, children perform some sort of trick, such as sing a song or tell a ghost story, to earn their treat. Because the holiday comes in the wake of the annual apple harvest, candy apples (known as toffee apples outside North America), caramel apples or taffy apples are common Halloween treats made by rolling whole apples in sticky sugar syrup, sometimes followed by rolling them in nuts.